Eternal Art Online

Fireballs roared through the air, exploding with crisp impacts against the Obsidian Slime King's massive body. One after another, glowing red damage numbers popped above its head, and its health bar began to drop steadily.

Crimson Lotus, clearly a well-coordinated team, quickly settled into formation. Several heavily armored berserkers rotated in and out of the frontlines, each taking turns tanking the boss while chugging potions to stay alive. Their teamwork was tight, efficient—almost admirable.

But early-game limitations were merciless. Most players wore nothing more than basic boots or crude greaves; anyone with more than 20 defense was already considered well-geared.

Despite Lusk's well-organized tactics, their frontliners continued to fall, picked off one by one by the Slime King's crushing blows.

To make things worse, the boss's venom attacks had splash damage, greatly amplifying their lethality. Many Crimson Lotus members didn't even get the chance to reach the frontlines before being instantly taken out by waves of poisonous fluid.

Still, the boss's health bar kept ticking downward—slow, but sure.

From the shadows of the nearby forest, Kiriya watched, torn between instinct and reason. Should he dash out and try to snipe the loot? Or simply watch as the boss—the boss that should've been his—got finished off by someone else?

He hesitated.

Crimson Lotus wasn't like Conqueror. They had none of the arrogance or cruelty. Instead, there was a sense of camaraderie between them—real trust, real teamwork. It showed. Kiriya couldn't help but feel a certain respect for them.

But respect didn't change the facts.

This boss had been his first.

His fight.

His claim.

And just as that bitter thought tightened in his chest, something exploded on the battlefield.

"RrrrROAAARRR!!"

The Obsidian Slime King let out an earth-shaking roar. Just as its health dipped near zero, its entire body was suddenly engulfed in a swirling black aura. Before anyone could react, the boss's size doubled in an instant, its form bloating with raw power.

Crimson Lotus-Lusk's face turned pale. "Watch out! It's mutating!"

Crimson Lotus-Ragnar cursed. "Seriously?! First boss and we trigger a variant?!"

Before they could adjust formation, the mutated Slime King let out another howl. A golden shockwave rippled out from its body like a tidal wave, slicing through the air.

"Fwoooosh!"

The wave struck the Crimson Lotus formation with brutal force. In an instant, almost every player on the field was hit. Over two hundred damage flashed across their heads. The weaker ones collapsed immediately, killed on the spot.

But the nightmare wasn't over.

A second wave followed—this time black and even more devastating.

Lusk shouted, panic creeping into his voice. "Shit! This is a disaster!"

Ragnar threw up his hands, half-bitter, half-resigned. "What did I say? This is karma! I told you snatching kills would come back to bite us…"

"…Damn it."

With two muffled groans, Crimson Lotus-Lusk and Crimson Lotus-Ragnar were simultaneously obliterated—instantly slain by the Obsidian Slime King.

What followed was nothing short of a massacre.

In the fourth wave of the boss's relentless assault, the entire Crimson Lotus guild was wiped out. And yet, the Obsidian Slime King showed no sign of slowing down.

A fifth wave followed. Then a sixth. Wave after wave, its rampage continued, and eventually even Kiriya stopped keeping count.

But he wasn't in a rush.

He remained hidden behind a large tree deep in the forest, silently watching the chaos unfold. That thick trunk shielded him from all stray attacks. Though the monstrous boss was barely a dozen steps away, Kiriya remained perfectly safe.

In the distance, dozens of players stood frozen, watching the display of power from afar. No one dared to get any closer. Even a top-tier guild like Crimson Lotus had been wiped out—what chance did ordinary players have?

Nearly ten minutes passed before the Obsidian Slime King's fury began to wane. Its roars died out, and the blinding golden glow surrounding its body gradually dimmed.

And then, because of his proximity, Kiriya received a system notification:

Ding~!

Combat Notification: Obsidian Slime King's Berserk state has ended. Now in a weakened state. Defense reduced by 50%.

This was it.

After the climax comes the collapse—the moment of vulnerability.

A sharp gleam flashed in Kiriya's eyes. Without hesitation, he lunged out from the shadows. His Glinting Battleaxe arced through the air in a swift, merciless strike.

"Squelch!"

A deep wound tore open on the Obsidian Slime King's crown, and a vivid red number exploded above its head:

346!

The sheer damage sent a rush of excitement surging through Kiriya's veins. The monster, once a towering god of death, was now nothing more than a quivering slab of meat.

Its venomous attacks were still lethal, but Kiriya had already downed a 300-point healing potion and was charging in head-on.

The onlookers gasped in unison. A chorus of shouting broke out as players began dashing toward the battlefield:

"Who the hell is that guy?! Where did he come from?"

"Hurry up! If we don't get in now, we'll miss everything!"

But Kiriya ignored the commotion.

He gripped his axe tightly, then brought it down once more with ferocious force. The blade ripped into the Slime King's head again, tearing a second gash wide open.

And then, with a rumbling crash, the Obsidian Slime King collapsed.

Ding~!

System Notification: Congratulations! You have slain the boss: Obsidian Slime King. Gained 50,000 EXP. Reputation +300!

...

Kiriya leveled up instantly, jumping straight to Level 12. And beneath the massive corpse of the Obsidian Slime King, he spotted two pieces of gear lying among the scattered loot.

Without hesitation, he rushed forward and scooped both items into his inventory before any of the nearby players could get close.

He quickly searched the body for anything else, but aside from a pile of coins, there was nothing left.

A few of those coins shimmered faintly with a golden hue.

Gold coins.

The boss had dropped gold coins!

He counted them—twelve in total, along with a generous handful of silver.

Some of the silver coins had rolled deep into the underbrush, forcing Kiriya to dig around for a while.

Had he not believed in the principle of "not letting a single grain go to waste," he probably wouldn't have bothered. But in the end, he collected eighty-four silver coins, all tucked safely into his pouch.

By the time he finished, the players who had been watching from a distance finally arrived on the scene. Many of them were staring at him now, eyes full of barely disguised greed.

Everyone knew the rule—when a boss is killed for the first time, the chance of dropping top-tier loot is 100%. The second kill? Halved. The third? Even lower. And so on.

Kiriya glanced at them. The strongest among them was Level 8, wielding a rusted iron sword.

Amateurs.

He didn't even consider them a threat.

Lifting his Glinting Battleaxe slightly, he said casually, "What? Care to test that rusted iron against my axe?"

That one line was enough to shake a few of them. Several players looked at each other, hesitated, and silently walked away.

But then, another group arrived—this one more organized.

Crimson Lotus.

There were only four of them this time. Among them were Crimson Lotus-Lusk and Crimson Lotus-Ragnar, both familiar faces. A third was a player named Crimson Lotus-Ziven, a Level 10 Dark Mage—a hidden class.

A hidden class… Dark Mage.

But what truly caught Kiriya's eye was the fourth person.

She went by the name Violet, a Level 10 Priest.

She wore a simple, off-white robe—ordinary gear—but that didn't dull her presence. She was strikingly beautiful.

Compared to Lina's youthful spirit, Violet radiated a mature, composed charm. Judging from her appearance, she was probably around twenty-five, whereas Lina looked no more than twenty.

Kiriya's gaze lingered on her for no more than two seconds before he calmly turned his attention to the others. That glance surprised even the Crimson Lotus members.

Violet herself parted her lips slightly in astonishment, as if taken aback by the clarity in the young man's eyes.

Crimson Lotus-Lusk looked down at the fading corpse of the Obsidian Slime King, then smiled.

"You took down the boss yourself, didn't you, brother?"

Kiriya gave a simple nod and replied without hesitation, "That's right. I struck the first blow—and the final one too."

His words were clear.

He didn't steal the kill.

He earned it.

Crimson Lotus-Lusk was equally straightforward, chuckling as he said, "Then let us congratulate you. By the way—did the boss drop anything good? If there's anything you don't plan to use, would you consider selling it to us first? We're willing to pay double the current market price."

Kiriya gave him a wary glance. Sensing his skepticism, Lusk smiled and added, "Ah, right. Forgot to introduce myself. I'm Lusk, and these are my friends—Ragnar, Ziven, and Violet. We've been a team since Mirage Realm, and we transitioned to EAO together. Not for profit or glory—just to chase the spark of greatness that once was. We call ourselves Crimson Lotus. We've got over a hundred members now, but truthfully, only the four of us are the real core of the guild. "

Kiriya raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised. "So... you've never actually met in person?"

Lusk laughed. "We're scattered all over the place. We keep in touch mostly through phone calls. Ragnar and I are in D City, Ziven's in H City… and as for this lovely lady, Violet, she lives in S City."

"Oh? Same city as me?" Kiriya blinked, slightly surprised.

Violet looked just as startled. She glanced at him, then quickly looked away, saying nothing.

Lusk gave him a knowing look. "Kiriya, the fact that you managed to take down that boss under both Crimson Lotus and Conqueror's noses... says a lot about you. You're not just any random player. Why not be friends? Maybe fight together in the future? Also… we still don't know your name."

It was only then that Kiriya remembered his in-game name had been hidden this whole time. It made him look more like a lone master than he'd intended.

Without hesitation, he revealed it.

"Kiriya Noir…" Lusk repeated the name aloud, then burst into laughter. "Now that's an interesting name. Anyway, why don't you check out what the boss dropped? If there's anything useful, great—if not, let us take it off your hands at a good price. You can even choose your future class based on it."

As he spoke, Lusk sent Kiriya a friend request, which Kiriya accepted without hesitation. Ragnar and Ziven followed suit immediately.

Violet stood quietly beside them, not saying a word. Seeing this, Kiriya took the initiative and sent her a request too. She looked up at him, her cheeks flushing slightly, then tapped "Accept" without a word.

Kiriya opened his inventory to check the two items he had looted from the boss. One was a sword, the other—a suit of armor. He focused on the armor first:

[Savage Warplate] (Bronze Tier – Armor)

Defense: 50

Strength: +5

Required Level: 14

(Unidentified)

…

His heart skipped a beat.

Even without identification, the armor's current stats were already outstanding. If its attributes improved after appraisal, it would easily qualify as a top-tier piece.

And it wasn't just any tier—it was Bronze, a full grade above Black Iron. This could very well be the first Bronze-tier item to drop in all of Eternal Art Online.